Even though today was another day packed with lectures about Senegal, I was able to learn more about the Senegalese than if I had spent 6 hours in the streets. The passion of the speakers that had the opportunity to hear was incredible. The fact that they were experts in such interesting fields and that they could share their knowledge in fluent English was amazing. One speaker talked about the roots of Islam, and many of us Holton girls were able to fill in the blanks, asks questions, and recognize terms we had learned in school. Although some of us restlessly struggled to sit through the back to back lectures, our interest in the topics, particularly the one on Gore Island, took the discussion in to tangent that became heavy debates. Tomorrow we will be traveling to Gore Island, Mariama Ba School, and the Maison d'esclaves. The speaker who talked about Gore explained a controversial theory that claimed that the House of Slaves did not really house slaves at all. We are interested to see the museum and talk with the islanders about their views on the subject. Along with learning about gender roles, Islam, and the slave trade in Senegal, I learned something very significant about the country; the Senegalese people are passionate, genuine, and sincere.
Oh, and the ice cream is great too!
-Danette
